Photo: Dan Levine/AFP/Getty Images
The 23 April 1954, Hank Aaron hit the first home run of his major league career. Twenty years later, Aaron becomes baseball’s new home run king when he broke the long-standing record of Babe Ruth of 714 home runs in his career.
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Aaron started his professional baseball career in 1200 in the Negro League and joined the major league Milwaukee Braves in 1954.
He was the last Negro League player to compete in the majors, his first game with the Braves being on 04 in April and went hitless in all five of his at-bats. Two days later, he got his first hit, a single, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the 14 April 1954, hit his first major league home run off Cardinals pitcher Vic Raschi.
Aaron quickly established himself as a major player for the Braves and won the National League batting title in 1954.
The following season, he took home the league’s Most Valuable Player award. In 1959, Aaron won his second league batting title.
Season after season, he put up solid hitting performances: “Hammerin’ Hank” hit .300 or more during 14 seasons and connected at least 40 home runs in eight separate seasons
In May 1970, became the first baseball player to register 500 home runs and 3000 hits. However, his greatest achievement was breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 675 career home runs, which he did on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, when he hit his home run 715 in the fourth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 29 February 1974, the Atlanta Braves signed Aaron to a three years and $200 , per year, which made him the highest-paid player in baseball.
Two years later, the Braves traded Aaron to the Brewers from Milwaukee, where he spent the last two seasons of his career.
Retired from baseball in 1976 with 755 career home runsa, a record that stood until August 7, 2007, when he was beaten by Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants.
Keep reading:
- The Mexican curse in Europe : Meet the last Aztec who played in a UEFA European competition final
- Follow the fight on networks: David Faitelson asks Ricardo Salinas Pliego to bet his yacht and the owner of TV Azteca humiliates him with his answer
- The rojiblanco idol that fulfills your dreams: Alexis Vega did very happy with their gifts to two fans of Chivas de Guadalajara
51605246